Shadow Of The Sun
by TheWoodElfOfAsgard
Summary: Down beneath the palace of Asgard, a prisoner plans his revenge on Odin. A plan that just may happen to include a certain God of Mischief.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, guys! This is my first fanfic! Just so you know, this story is set before Thor, Avengers and Thor: The Dark World. Please review to tell me what you think!**

Thor never really liked the prison.

When Thor and Loki were children, and all of Asgard's children, they were told of the dungeons under the palace. With cold stone walls and water that constantly dripped from the ceiling, the sound bouncing off the dark walls and echoing in the endless darkness, it was the picture of every child's nightmare.

They were warned about the rats that scurried in the shadows, only heard but never seen, driving people to the point of insanity. Spiders that climbed the walls over your head, spinning webs as they scuttled around. Dark Spiders thrived, growing to the size of house cats, maybe even small dogs.

When Thor was permitted to go down to the dungeons for the first time, he was quite disappointed.

It wasn't cold and dark, dripping water coming from the stone ceiling. Not like how the children of Asgard were warned. If Thor had to say so himself, it was actually quite pleasant, too good for some of the prisoners down here.

The prisons were based under the main palace structure, and the only way out or in was to go up, through the highly guarded palace. The walls were white, piscine and glaringly bright. In the cells themselves sat chairs and beds, books and food on demand.

And although the accommodation was satisfying, prisoners still complained and fought.

Thor found himself, quite surprisingly, feeling sorry for the prisoners. For they had been deprived of the one thing the God of Thunder had feared all his life of losing.

His _freedom_.

Inwardly shivering, Thor thumped down the stairs, trying to hide his cringe as all the prisoners present glared at him, some shouting abuse. When the guards banged their spears on the ground in warning, the convicts immediately stopping their yelling.

"Sorry 'bout that" Asa, one of the guards on duty, apologised with a grin as he greeted the elder prince.

Thor smiled as he grasped the guards' forearm in warrior greeting. "'Tis alright, Asa. It's the reaction I've come to expect"

Asa nodded, his beaming smile never leaving his face. "I take it you're here for your inspection?" he asked, returning back to his post beside a particular uncooperative prisoner.

Thor followed at a distance, knowing better than to stand too close, even with the barrier separating them. But apart from the prisoner lifting his lips into a sneer, he made no effort to cause trouble.

"Aye, that is correct, Asa. I shall keep you no further" Thor said, dipping his head. Asa gave him a playful salute in return, grinning wolfishly.

Thor shook his head exasperation as he moved away. Thor and Asa grew up together. His father fought in the war and died for his country, so Asa grew up with only his elder brother and his mother.

Asa was a nice lad. He had white, blazing hair that settled around his heart shaped face in just the right way. His blue eyes were light, giving off a greyish impression. His skin was tanned, and he had cheekbones that could cut glass. He was funny and witty, a smile ready on his pink lips.

As time moved on and the pair got older, they grew distant, but are still good friends.

Thor patrolled down the cells, his head turning slowly to each side to observe each door and prisoner inside.

The prison was quite organised. The further down you went, criminals who made more of a serious offences were kept. Small time robbers were the first, going down and down until you met the spies sent from other realms and murderers.

Going further down, Thor was met with shouts and cups banging, and no matter how loud the guards told them to stop, the criminals only got louder still.

Feeling like a small child, Thor swaggered through the hall between the cells with his head held high.

Thankfully nearing the end of the hall, Thor smiled when he met the last guard. The guard saluted sharply, his armour clinking against each other with the effort.

"My prince," the guard greeted before bowing and Thor had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes, "The prisoner, Maegol, will not eat until he has spoken with you"

Thor furrowed his brows in confusion. Why him? Usually these matters were taken to his father.

"Go on" Thor urged as he followed the stony faced guard, going deeper and deeper into the dungeons.

"Maegol killed several Asgardians last month, and was only caught last week" the guard reported dutifully.

"Ah, yes. I remember something of the sort. I was away on patrol, I was not here for the trial" Thor muttered.

They continued onwards, the lighting getting sparser and walls seeming to move closer together. They turned a corner, finally coming to the cell.

Thor waved off the guard, who moved back to his station at the door. And taking a deep breath, Thor looked into the cell which held Meagol.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for any and all reviews and I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I forgot to say in the first chapter, but I don't own any of the Marvel characters. My friend helped me write the poem/cryptic message so I would like to thank her. Thoughts are in Italics in the chapter. Anyway, without** **further ado, here is chapter 2**

_Earlier that day..._

Maegol sat in the corner, rocking back and forth like a child. His grey eyes flickered like the torch on the other side of his cell, and his lips were curled into a sinister smile.

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Time is running out! What shall we do? What shall we do? We must get revenge, we must, we must! But he is big, and he is powerful and we are all alone. We must get revenge on him some other way! Hmmmm... the Sun! Of course! And the Shadow! They are precious to him, very precious indeed. Must attack, we must! We shall get Shadow first! For what is Sun without Shadow?_

His thoughts concluded, Maegol got ready for his special guest..

_Present time..._

The cell was not like the others Thor had seen. It had bars, for a start, instead of the force fields that surround the other prisoners.

It was darker too, with the three guards present holding torches while one was placed in each cell. Thor could tell were the stories had come from now. While he was certain that there wasn't any Dark Spiders down here, he wouldn't exactly be surprised if there was.

Slowing his usually powerful and sure footsteps, Thor timidly walked towards the cell. He peered through the darkness, squinting his eyes. Curled up in the corner was a silhouette.

Thor released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He could handle the mad prisoners, it was just the cryptic and demanding convicts that gave him the creeps.

"You asked to see me? What is it you want, Maegol, son of Mogol?" Thor demanded, his voice loud and booming.

But Maegol ignored him. Listening closer, Thor could hear he was mumbling something. Stepping closer, Thor strained his ears but caught nothing.

Waving a guard over, the door was opened for him and he ducked to get into the small door, carrying a burning torch. The heavy metal door swung shut behind him, leaving him with the serial killer.

Silence reigned for a few moments. Then, softly, Maegol spoke, his face still facing the wall, "You are Odin's son, are you not?"

His voice was raspy and hoarse, probably from lack of use but it still held an edge to it that the God of Thunder couldn't quite identify. Thor didn't really know why to say to that, so he answered with a simple, "Yes"

From his position at the door, Thor could see a corner of what could only be a sinister smirk on Maegol's face.

Maegol himself looked quite sinister and intimidating, even though he was curled in a ball in the corner of a cell, shackles around his wrists.

He had black hair, shoulder length. He wore black clothes, ruffled and ripped, stained and the cuffs and collar was frayed. Bare feet were bleeding freely, dirt from the floor getting into the cuts. The only thing separating his knees and chest were his chained hands which were settled in between them.

"Riddle me this," the raven haired prisoner challenged, "What goes around the house and in the house, but never touches the house?"

Thor shifted from one foot to the other. He was sure he had heard this one before.

"The sun," he exclaimed after a moment of thinking, "The sun goes around the house and the light goes into the house but it never actually touches it"

"Good, good," Maegol praised, his voice mocking the younger god, "There is a thing which nothing is, yet it has a name. It's sometimes tall and sometimes short, it tumbles when we fall. It plays our games."

It was times like these were Thor wished that Loki was with him. His brother loved books and literature, while he himself preferred the battlefield. It was well known by the people of Asgard, and by the brothers themselves. Thor was the brawn and Loki was the brains.

"I-It's a shadow, sire" the guard behind the door whispered, but even he couldn't stop his voice from bouncing off the walls and echoing into the cell.

Thor nodded at him discreetly. He turned back to Maegol. "It is a shadow"

Maegol chuckled, a horrible rattling sound deep in his chest that ended with hacking coughs. When he had recovered himself, he stood up, his back still facing the prince.

Thor tensed, tightening his grip on the flickering torch. But Maegol made no move to attack.

Instead, he slowly turned around.

He was older than the god expected him to be. His lips were dry and cracked. His cheeks had caved in, hollow and scarily fragile looking. His skin was a horrible pastel colour, and was covered with a layer of glistening sweat.

But his eyes.

The brown orbs were hidden by sagging eyelids and sweeping lashes. But from what Thor could see, they were bright and alert. The corners of his eyes looked like they were pinched. Rimmed with black, the brown was penetrating, pinning Thor to the spot he stood on. But they held an element of wildness, as if Maegol had been trapped for so long and he just wanted to be free.

He slowly walked forward and Thor found himself incapable of moving away from the hard stare.

"Tick tick tick tick  
Only time will tell  
Before all of the ringings, the knell  
Shadowed behind the glory of a glowing sun  
But he shall burst forth in grace  
Eyes a-crystal-clear and shadow hiding his face," Maegol grinned, his eyes glinting in madness.

"He is the fire of a burning sun and he is but the shadow  
Shadow himself is frowned upon but of course the sun is hallowed  
Tortured mind and his blade is sharp, a bad combination in the dark  
Hackles raised and childrens' cries  
Blood and bodies fill the skies," he stopped a foot away from the prince, and started to whisper,

"And in the darkness he could hear your heart,  
He tried to find the sound.  
Then it stopped and there was darkness,  
So darkness he became,  
your heart shall lose its pound"

Finishing his speech, Maegol stepped back, smiling gleefully. He moved to his place in the corner, his eyes still locked with the blue ones opposite him.

"Good luck, Thor," he whispered as he slid down the wall, "You'll need it. Oh! Be a darling and send dear Loki my regards, will you?"

He finally broke eye contact and turned to face the wall again. Thor took this as his cue to leave, head spinning with the cryptic message Maegol had supplied him with.

Maybe Loki could figure it out.


End file.
